Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between process engineers lead and staff engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a process engineer lead, becoming a staff engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a process engineer lead has an average salary of $110,175, which is higher than the $107,530 average annual salary of a staff engineer.
The top three skills for a process engineer lead include lean six sigma, continuous improvement and sigma. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Process Engineer Lead | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $110,175 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $52.97 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 48,485 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A Process Engineer Lead is responsible for developing, maintaining, and operating materials and chemicals in the manufacturing process. They ensure continuous improvement in process, cost, quality, and production.
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Process engineers lead and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Process Engineer Lead | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $110,175 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $143,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | First Republic Bank | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a process engineer lead and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Process Engineer Lead | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Chemical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between process engineers lead' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Process Engineer Lead | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 14.7% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |